To say that Denis Portelance, shown on the right in
the above photo, has roots in
Valley East
is an understatement. The Portelance family first settled in this region
in the late 1800’s, so when Denis says that he is willing to stake his
reputation on something, he means it. In 1994, Denis and his wife, Louise,
opened a plumbing business called Action Drainflow. Shortly thereafter, he
discovered that many of his customers were in need of treatments for
improving their water systems. Therefore, Denis went back to school in
Cambridge
where he was certified as a water treatment professional and subsequently
became a dealer for Ecowater
Canada
in 1997. Today, Denis and Louise provide water products and systems to
Sudbury
area customers from their conveniently located site on
Main Street
in Val Caron. According to Denis, “I am firmly convinced that the
reverse-osmosis process we use gives you the best drinking water there is.
It doesn’t just remove chlorine from tap water – it actually purifies
the water.” Ecowater can be purchased from a large number of outlets
throughout the region in 5 gallon jugs for anywhere from $5.99 and up. But
shortly after opening, Denis decided to set up a U-Fill Station in his
store in order to provide regular customers with another option. Robert
Kirwan, shown in the photo with Denis, was one of the first people in the
area to embrace the U-Fill option. Instead of paying the $5.99 or more
retail price for a 5 gallon jug, Kirwan simply brings his empty jug to
Ecowater and fills it himself for only $3.00. “It’s a very easy
procedure,” claimed Kirwan. “I have four jugs at home. When three of
them are empty, I come to Ecowater, take less than 10 minutes to clean and
fill all three of them for $9.00 and then return home with enough water to
last me for a couple of weeks. If I bought them at a store, it would cost
me twice as much.” Denis has found that besides price, there is another
big reason why many people keep returning to the U-Fill Station. “You
just never know today,” explained Portelance. “At least if you bring
your own jug and clean it yourself with our food-grade peroxide, you know
that the jug is clean and fit for your use. I’ve seen jugs where people
have stored gasoline or other chemicals and then return them to the store
where they are filled up again and sold to customers. I’ve actually
tasted the gasoline in water that was supposed to be pure. By filling up
your own jug, you know that it is clean.” Some people also come in with
their own jugs instead of the standard 5 gallon jugs provided by Ecowater.
These can be filled up for only 19 cents a litre. Denis continues to offer
specialized sales and service in the area of water pumps, well points and
water treatment systems for both residential and commercial use, but he is
especially pleased to know that thousands of local residents are enjoying
the pure, healthy water that comes from the taps at Ecowater. The store is
open Monday to Wednesday from
9 a.m.
to
6 p.m.
; Thursday and Friday from
9 a.m.
to
8 p.m.
; and Saturday from
9 a.m.
to
4 p.m.